WALL TOWNSHIP — The Wall Township Board of Education met Tuesday night for a budget-only workshop meeting, open to the public for the board to provide updates on the status of the 2025 to 2026 budget.
The board made it clear that this meeting was merely for members of the public to be able to watch the board work on the tentative 2025 to 2026 budget, and that there will be a public hearing and vote on the final budget set for April 29.
Presentations were given by different department heads discussing overall needs and capabilities in their respective areas, such as special education, technology, human resources and student wellness. Superintendent Tracy Handerhan spoke on the nature of the meeting.
“Budget workshops are sessions for the full board to meet as a whole and discuss the 2025–2026 budget,” Handerhan said. “The budget workshop is held in public because it includes the full board of education, and therefore provides an opportunity for the public to observe the board as they work on the budget. Budget workshop meetings are not presentations of the school budget, and most documents being referenced, reviewed and discussed have not been made available to the public.”
Business Administrator Brian Smyth presented some tentative numbers that are currently a part of the proposed 2025 to 2026 budget.
“Where we are on the budget at this point, we have budgeted revenues at a little over $90,446,000. Our budget appropriations exceed that, at about $91,181,000. So, we are over budget by a little less than three quarters of a million dollars, by $734,882,” Smyth said.
Smyth spoke on some factors that were taken into account through the budgeting process, including a potential decrease in federal aid.
“This is based on anticipated flat state aid. We are not anticipating an increase or a decrease,” Smyth said. “The industry is saying that we could anticipate up to a 3% decrease in state aid, but we are also factoring in possible reduction in federal aid, federal aid in title grants, as well as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds that are handled by Ms. Kelly Bond for special education. Right now, we are massaging our revenues waiting to hear additional information with regard to federal aid, and hopefully state aid figures will be out by the end of the week.”
This is an excerpt of the print article. For more on this story, read The Coast Star—on newsstands Thursday or online in our e-Edition.
Check out our other Wall Township stories, updated daily. And remember to pick up a copy of The Coast Star—on newsstands Thursday or online in our e-Edition.
Subscribe today! If you're not already an annual subscriber to The Coast Star, get your subscription today! For just $38 per year, you will receive local mail delivery weekly, with pages and pages of local news and online access to our e-edition on Starnewsgroup.com.
 6x10 4c.jpg)
